Plants and their roles in combating contemporary global challenges

Abstract

This paper examined some aspects of contemporary global challenges that have mostly been occasioned by anthropogenic factors which have uncoupled ecological equilibria. These have been made more severe by pressure from the rapidly increasing human population. Some of these global challenges include deforestation, climate change, pollution of air and soils, ground and surface water scarcity/contamination, food shortages, decreased food quality, extreme poverty and decreased overall health and wellbeing. Plants provide a veritable resource for mitigation of these challenges if they are sustainably exploited to provide qualitative food, raw materials, medicine and ecosystem services. The paper also examined the trends and impacts of these global challenges and concluded that it is imperative for research and development efforts to be directed at the restoration of ecosystem balances, where stability has been disrupted, and to maintain such stability in pristine environments.